


monochrome love

by grassandcitrus



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2014-12-11
Packaged: 2018-03-01 02:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2756519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grassandcitrus/pseuds/grassandcitrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaburagi Kotetsu hadn't seen colors since Tomoe. He missed them, sometimes, but not so much as he missed her.</p><p>But life goes on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	monochrome love

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in a world where everyone sees in shades of black and white until they meet their soulmate - then the world becomes colorful. If said soulmate dies, then, the colors fade away. Otherwise, the world is pretty much the same as in canon.

Kotetsu had gotten used to the monochrome again. 

There had been a time when he’d been able to see the full range of colors, but that time had faded along with Tomoe’s passing. He missed them, but not nearly so much as he missed Tomoe. He would have gone without the colors if it meant having Tomoe again. 

Not that that was actually a real option. Just something he’d mused on before moving on with his life. He loved Tomoe, would always love her, but what she would have wanted for him was not sulking, no, she would have wanted him to move on with his life and enjoy it for what it is. So he did. Mostly.

…

The topic of colors didn’t come up often with the other heroes. He didn’t know if most of them could see them or not, though the likelihood was high that they couldn’t - most people would never actually meet their soulmate. For one, he was fairly certain neither Karina nor Pao-Lin could see colors, which was hardly surprising for their age. Even though he’d been able to see colors at Karina’s age, he certainly wasn’t the norm.

Antonio had mentioned before that he couldn’t see them, and had mused to him that he didn’t think he ever would. Kotetsu had reassured him that it was entirely possible that he might - but also that he shouldn’t get too hung up over finding his soulmate.

“Big talk from someone who met his soulmate in high school,” Antonio had told him, but it was good natured and they managed to maneuver the conversation to more pleasant waters from there. Kotetsu was aware that, at least in that way, he was lucky. Even if his luck hadn’t really lasted.

Nathan, Keith and Ivan had never mentioned it one way or another, and as far as Kotetsu figured, it wasn’t really his business. 

Then came the whole thing about the switching companies and the “partners” thing that Kotetsu really didn’t want to have to deal with. Even from their very first meeting, Kotetsu had known it would be trouble. Barnaby had been friendly enough when he’d rescued Kotetsu, but that hadn’t lasted past the first meeting. He just chalked it up to Barnaby’s public face showing, that he actually wasn’t nearly as prickly upon their crash-into-hello meeting. 

After that, however, Barnaby had acted thoroughly like a jerk, and really, Kotetsu could do this if Barnaby would wait a moment and work with him. Kotetsu wondered what on earth he had managed to do to the other man to make him so damn prickly, or if he was just naturally that way.

…

There was a time, after the two had settled into their partnership a little more, when all the heroes were - not hanging out, really, that’s not the best way to put it - sitting together all in the same room with the news going in the background as they chatted after having caught a large group of criminals together. The chatter managed to die down a little bit once the news turned to an interview with Barnaby, right after they had apprehended the criminal. 

Some of the others - namely Nathan, at the moment - were heckling Barnaby about some of his answers, but Kotetsu noticed that he looked a little more flustered than was likely to have come from their gentle teasing.

“So, Barnaby, you were the one who lead the charge against the criminals, when none of the other heroes had been able to find them. What helped clue you in to their location?” the reporter asked Barnaby.

Barnaby answered offhandedly, “They were trying to blend into the background, but they weren’t doing a good job of it. For one, they were all wearing blue against a black background and -”

The tv flickered off right there, and Kotetsu turned to see an embarrassed Barnaby holding the remote and looking away from the other heroes. Kotetsu could see now why he hadn’t looked too thrilled when the report came on. Now everyone knew that he could see colors, which would open new lines of questioning that Barnaby likely wouldn’t want to talk about. The other heroes would probably try not to mention it since it obviously wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, but odds are that interviewers wouldn’t be nearly so kind.

But that raised the question: who was Barnaby’s soulmate, that he could see colors but definitely was not dating anyone? Kotetsu knew he wasn’t the most observant, but he liked to think that he could catch that much.

The room had been quiet for too long when Barnaby jumped up and excused himself. The other heroes looked at each other before finding reasons of their own to leave.

…

“But why would anyone leave Kotetsu in the care of a child, of all people?” Karina asked as Kotetsu tried to quiet the crying child.

“You didn’t know?” Antonio started, “Kotetsu has a daughter.” Karina stiffened, and a little ways away so did Barnaby.

“Kotetsu is...married?” Karina asked, a darkening blush coming to her face more and more.

“Was,” Antonio responded, “She died. About five years ago.”

“Oh.” Karina said, looking at the floor and trying not to think too hard about it. Apart from the group, Barnaby was glaring sullenly at the wall as he listened to Pao-Lin start to calm the crying child in Kotetsu’s arms. 

…

“Barnaby.”

“Hmm?” he responded to Kotetsu, the two of them lounging at Barnaby’s place.

“What color are your eyes?”

The noise that came from Barnaby was a combination between a cough and choking. “Does it matter? Won’t it just be a word to you?” he asked, trying to regain his composure. Kotetsu didn’t comment on it.

“I was able to see them at one point in time,” Kotetsu told him, “before Tomoe died.”

Barnaby was silent for a long time. Most people would have thought it was too long of a silence, but Kotetsu knew that sometimes Barnaby was weird and his thought process wasn’t the easiest to follow.

“They’re green,” Barnaby told him quietly. Kotetsu found himself smiling.

“Green was always my favorite color,” he mused, looking over to where Barnaby sat, all shades of gray, some harsh spots of black but mostly just gray and more gray. He tried to imagine Barnaby’s green eyes and couldn’t, could never quite remember the color, just the impression it left in his mind.

For a moment Kotetsu wondered what it would be like if he could still see, if Tomoe was still there, what would Barnaby look like to him then? He also wondered what it would be like if maybe, Barnaby had been his soulmate. The thought was momentary, fleeting, and he immediately knew it wasn’t right. Tomoe was his soulmate, and she was gone, and that was that. Thoughts like that would get him nowhere, though, so he tried his best to move past them. Barnaby already had a soulmate out there somewhere, anyway.

…

Death had approached Kotetsu a couple times before, but he had to say that this was the first time that he’d found himself cradled in someone’s arms as it approached.

Barnaby’s sobbing would likely be ingrained in Kotetsu’s memory forever, but also would Barnaby’s murmured confession that he was Barnaby’s light - that color had entered his world when they’d met, and please, Kotetsu, don’t leave him in the dark.

Kotetsu didn’t comment on it until a few days after, when he’d been released to the hospital and was able to talk to Barnaby in private. The other man was a mixture of sullen and grateful when Kotetsu approached him.

“Bunny,” Kotetsu started, only to be interrupted.

“I know I said some things when you were - when I thought you were dying. It’s probably best if we just pretend that I didn’t and leave it at that,” Barnaby told him, looking pointedly at the floor. 

“But what if I don’t want to forget?” Kotetsu asked, crossing his arms, “Bunny, I’ve wondered before what it would be like if you’d been my soulmate. Every time I’ve been stopped by the idea that you already have a soulmate, and that it wouldn’t be my place.”

“But-” Barnaby started, and this time Kotetsu interrupted him.

“It shouldn’t have bothered me, maybe, that you weren’t the one that introduced colors to my world. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you,” Kotetsu stated, “and if it doesn’t bother you that I can’t see colors, then well. What is there to lose?”

Barnaby stood in stunned silence for a moment, looking at Kotetsu. Kotetsu found himself growing worried about the silence, worried he’d made a mistake and that this was just going to make their already precarious relationship even worse.

But then Barnaby closed the gap of a few extra steps to meet his lips in a kiss. It was chaste and quick, but certainly got the point across. When Barnaby pulled away he said, “I don’t mind if you don’t.”

Kotetsu smiled, maybe a little bit giddily, and leaned back in for another kiss.

Tomoe may have been his soulmate, and that he’ll never forget. But he found Barnaby on his own, and he loved him as well. Something had to be said about that.


End file.
